Shooting For The Stars
by Flowerstar
Summary: [Sort of a self-insert story] Fiona finally returns to her humble town of Rainbow to be the bearer of bad news. Truth to be told, she is now an intergalactic heroine, saving multiple galaxies and planets on a daily basis. Front cover is used and asked with permission by my talented friend, Vix Chan. Rest of the authoress' notes is in this story.


**Disclaimer:** The _Animal Crossing_ series, other characters, locations and so on are properties of Nintendo EAD and Nintendo. The _Ratchet & Clank_ series, the weapons, the characters, the planets, the galaxies etc. belongs to Insomniac Games and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe/Sony Computer Entertainment America. The only things I own are the fanfiction itself, the storyline of it and my Animal Crossing character, Fiona. The front cover of my fanfiction one-shot is asked and used with permission by my talented internet friend, Vix Chan (I think I befriended her during a past _Mario Kart 7_ online tournament a couple of years ago), from deviantART and Twitter.

 **Authoress' Notes:** For those of you who have played _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_ , I'm sure we all know nearly every mayor (player)/everyone will have their own reason as to why they abandoned their virtual towns. Some of us left to attend school, high school, college or university, a few of us have departed to embark on other adventures in other lands (gaming wise) or burned rubber on the racetracks in the Mushroom Kingdom, a couple of us are occupied with jobs or careers outside of our gaming lives, a small number of us went off to beat the crud out of other characters in _Super Smash Bros._ tournaments or kick intergalactic butt and save the universe… you get the picture.

This story mirrors my gaming life and my life in general outside of video games such as university. As you read on, you'll soon find out in the story why I ditched my virtual town in the first place. My other reasons are my life keeps getting in the way and I'm still attending university at the time (at the time of writing this story, I'm still studying at university). Throughout this story, there are subtle references to the _Ratchet & Clank_ series. There is a life message/moral in this aforementioned story and it's also slightly inspired from the music video of, " _Say Goodbye_ ", by S Club 7 as well as the song's lyrics and the meaning behind it.

If you're wondering why I suddenly changed the layout of the authoress' notes and the disclaimer, I decided to relive the good ol' days of my early fanfiction years (circa 2005 and 2006) if any of my old readers still remember me from these years. If I'm being honest with myself, I still miss the old authors of my generation. Most of them have either given up, are dead or have moved on to other things or websites. There are only a few of us that are still around besides me. Remembering my early fanfiction years made me realise how much I've taken the early 2000's for granted and how old I am, in terms of how long I've stayed on this website.

Unlike the previous two Ratchet & Clank crossover teasers (" _Galactic Gang_ " and " _Same Sentiments_ "), this fanfiction is a one-shot just like, " _Sandshark Scuffle_ ".

If you're wondering, my virtual town tune is based on the first lyric, " _When we first came here_ ", from the song, " _Spectrum (Say My Name) (Calvin Harris Remix)_ " by Florence + The Machine. The reason why I picked this song is 'cause it's about rainbows and colours.

Just a fun fact, the date (Thursday 21st August 2014) and the time (7:52pm) referenced to when I get hooked on the _Ratchet & Clank_ series. I couldn't remember when exactly until I had the patience to scroll through my previous chat messages on Facebook. This date shows me starting to drift away from _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_. I'm still a fan of the _Animal Crossing_ series but this is when I begin to move on to a different game series. Scrolling through the messages is kinda like going through a time machine but without the consequences.

Similar to " _Same Sentiments_ ", this fanfiction one-shot will be another emotional (and depressing or heart-breaking) story.

 **Edit (30/11/2015):** Gosh, how long has it been since I've been a massive fanatic of Girls Aloud, huh? Happy Girls Aloud day or happy 13th anniversary, girls! " _13yrs? I've been saying 15. Whoops. love you all!_ " Oh, Nadine, everyone knows it's thirteen years (according to the calculator and if I did the math correctly). Let's see… 2015 – 2002 = 13. If only they haven't split up in 2013, then they would've lasted longer as the _Ratchet & Clank_ series. Nowadays, the _Ratchet & Clank_ series have already surpassed them, in terms of staying power. Just recently, I've gotten word Girls Aloud are "reuniting" next year… but not in the way I expected. Seriously, Darth Ben Valor, did you have a crystal ball in your possession or you can see into the future? Girls Aloud and the _Ratchet & Clank_ series both started in 2002 in November and they are making a grand comeback next year. Coincidence? I think not! I know I should be absolutely over the moon about Girls Aloud's "reunion" but it's just not the same without Nadine Coyle (without a doubt, she's the lead singer of the band). Why, oh why, couldn't 2016 come any faster? At least, I have another thing to look forward to besides the _Ratchet & Clank Movie_, _Ratchet & Clank (PS4)_ and _Yooka-Laylee_. Seeing as it is Girls Aloud's 13th anniversary, I'm listening to their back catalogue of songs to get me in the mood of celebrating their anniversary while I'm writing this fanfiction.

Summary: Fiona finally returns to her humble town of Rainbow to be the bearer of bad news. Truth to be told, she is now an intergalactic heroine, saving multiple galaxies and planets on a daily basis. Receiving a transmission call from Clank, she is reluctant to leave her secretary, the villagers and her town behind but there is one thing that she learned which is there will be a time when she must move on to open a new chapter in this book of life.

* * *

" _Nothing lasts forever though we want it to_ "

" _The road ahead holds different dreams for me and you_ "

" _Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny_ "

" _Sometimes goodbye though it hurts is the only way now for you and me_ "

— " _Say Goodbye_ " by S Club 7

* * *

" _Just between the two of us, I've actually travelled the vastness of space as well! But let me tell you one thing I learned when floatin' about out there. Space is DARK!_ " – Gulliver the Seagull, _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_

* * *

Shooting For The Stars

 **Rainbow (Virtual Town)**

 **Thursday 21** **st** **August 2014**

 **7:52pm GMT**

As of her third interstellar adventure, Fiona or Mayor Fiona (as her animal neighbours and her secretary usually called her) wore the Magnaplate Armour which is a blue-coloured armour and it reflected and absorbed up to 33% of damage instead of her usual clothes.

Her current weapon of choice is the Omega Decimator. It's a ridiculously powerful weapon which is capable of mass destruction (depending on how high the level it's been upgraded to) and if used right, it can pack a wallop, dealing massive damage to the user's enemies. It acts as a lesser RYNO (Rip Ya A New One and it's known as the most powerful missile launcher in any galaxy, whether it's Solana or Bogon) for people that can't afford to purchase the RY3NO. It fired a missile that released a barrage of individually-targeting littler missiles upon explosion. It is short-to-medium ranged, it have quick reload time, homing capability and power. It had a damage rating of 5000 and it have an ammunition capacity of 30 units. She doesn't know why she had a soft spot for outrageously powerful weaponry which is a rare trait in her seemingly girlish personality.

As for her Star Explorer starship, it is parked somewhere in the town whilst her partner and close friend, Clank, is waiting patiently in the passenger seat.

The Star Explorer is a spaceship that has two standard laser cannons, auto-lock missile launchers, standard shielding and a warp drive at the start of her adventure in the Bogon Galaxy. As the adventure progressed, it is later on tricked out with enhanced weapons and gadgets thanks to Raritanium. Concerning the body of the ship, it is initially painted in a Blargian Red paint colour and it is equipped with a pair of standard wings and a matching standard nose. Thanks to Slim Cognito's Ship Shack and the Starship Phoenix, the ship's appearance is upgraded with Hi-Lift Wings or Heavy Ordinance Wings and a scoop nose or a split nose, depending on which wing or nose shape or style she prefers. Finally, the ship is coated in the Plaidtastic paint job. Therefore, it looked like it is sporting a dark pink colour with beautiful, white flowers and a smile emoticon in the centre.

The town, Rainbow, shares the same time zone with a certain British country. Originally according to the new mayor who is known as Fiona, it would have been named Choi Hung which is Cantonese for Rainbow. However, the name has been confirmed as said name.

Due to the time zone, it has a distinctive flair of the United Kingdom (otherwise known as England, Great Britain or Britain. Whatever floats anyone's boat). It is unknown why Gulliver the Seagull mentioned the name, "England", rather than the other names like: "United Kingdom", "Great Britain" or "Britain". Typically, the British people don't usually name their country, "England". Speaking of the time zone, the town uses the Greenwich Mean Time or Western European Time (UTC) and British Summer Time or Western European Summer Time (UTC+01:00) which is similar to what the United Kingdom had.

When it comes to the government of the town, girl power truly ruled the roost since the government body consists of the current mayor, Fiona, and her workaholic secretary, Isabelle. In other words, girl power proved to be dominating the town.

The town consists of the following citizens: Roald the Penguin, Penelope the Mouse, Freya the Wolf, Hippeux the Hippo, Scoot the Duck, Clyde the Horse, Wart Jr. the Frog and Marcel the Dog. The former animal villagers were Celia the Eagle and Hazel the Squirrel. The town would've been named Choi Hung, which is Cantonese for "rainbow" but she canned the name, in fear that her neighbours and the population wouldn't understand her second main language. She may be Asian but her town have a British feel to it, due to her nationality and the town's time zone. Visiting other towns made her realise that they each have different time zones which can be annoyingly confusing sometimes.

Within the Main Street or the Shopping District, it is aligned with numerous familiar shops and services such as the Able Sisters' store, the Kicks shoe store, Club LOL, Dream Suite, Gardening Store, Happy Home Showcase, Museum, Nook's Homes, Photo Booth, Post Office, Shampoodle, Fortune Shop and Super T&T. Within the village, there is a Café, the campsite, the Police Station and the Reset Surveillance Centre (which is located outside of Fiona's home).

Within these buildings they were run by their respective clerks, managers, shop owners etc. such as Mable, Sable and Labelle (the owners of their own clothes and accessories store), Kicks the skunk (who owns his own shoe store which is named after himself), Dr. Shrunk (who owns Club LOL and sometimes K.K. Slider comes there but he only performs during the night hours), Luna the tapir (who is the owner of the Dream Suite), Leif the sloth (who runs the Gardening Store), Digby the dog (who is Isabelle's brother and the owner of the Happy Home Showcase), Blathers the owl and Celeste the owl, Tom Nook (along with Lyle who is in charge of the Happy Room Academy), Pelly and Phyllis (the clerks at the Post Office), Harriet the poodle (who owns the barber shop), Katrina the panther (who is in charge of her Fortune Shop) and lastly, Timmy and Tommy (the managers of their Nookling Stores). In the village, Brewster runs his café and Copper who is in charge of the Modern Police Station.

Upon her arrival at the town for the first time, she didn't know what to expect, especially befriending anthropomorphic dogs, but after bonding with Isabelle and her twin brother, Digby, she slowly begin to let go of her lifelong, deathly fear of dogs. Hence the reason why she had always been a cat person. It is a start but it will take time until she's no longer deadly petrified of canines. Regardless, she still had complete resentment towards them.

Other than these buildings, there were numerous landmarks and utility structures littered around the village which were requested by the villagers. They were known (not in a particular order) as the Yellow Bench, Fairy-Tale Bench, Tire Toy, Cobblestone Bridge, two Wooden Suspension Bridges, Fountain, Tower, Geyser, the lighthouse and most recently, the illuminated arch. Some of the trees bear the cherries which were considered to be the town's main fruit.

Fiona also has an affinity for the colour pink which shows off her feminine personality and traits. In spite of her girlish appearance, she possesses a stubborn streak (which she takes after her father) and tends to refuse to reveal her emotions. In fact, she keeps them all bottled up. Not only that, but she had a fiery temperament and due to her recent role as a mayor, she can be strict if she needs to. In addition, she occasionally loathes admitting she is wrong. Speaking of her personality, she has a tendency to repeatedly reject any help from anyone where it gets to the point where she eventually accepts it. Other than that, she is kind-hearted, diligent and she is secretly a party animal at heart (seeing as she has a soft spot for going to Club LOL during her spare time when she isn't working and listening to up-tempo dance, electronica music and pop music, either it be from K.K. Slider/DJ K.K. or from her favourite singers and bands from her home country).

At times, Fiona yearns for the nostalgic, carefree days where she is used to be a resident of her old town, Ninttown. She still remembered vividly of her past neighbours such as Vesta the Sheep, Cube the Penguin, Joey the Duck, Twiggy the yellow Bird, Angus the Bull, Eloise the Elephant and finally, Poncho the bear cub. Back in the old days, Tortimer is the mayor of her previous town at the time. When she ultimately made a decision to move to a different town in search of a new life and to refresh herself despite the fact that she loathed trying out something new with a burning passion, she moved in to the very town that she is residing in now. Now that she is the mayor and she is currently focused on her occupation, she couldn't move back to her earlier town which she remembered from her Wild World days.

The bulletin board is situated near the Train Station and the Town Hall. This is where anyone in the town can post their messages on, whether it is the animal villagers, the other citizens or the mayor herself.

"Ahhhhh… home sweet home, it's great to be back in my hometown. I wonder how Isabelle and everybody else are doing during my absence? I hope she didn't turn my town into a desolate wasteland and causing my neighbours to be bored to death. It's fortunate the Keep Rainbow Beautiful ordinance is still in place. It's a good thing that I planned ahead. I remember enacting the ordinance when I have to travel overseas to China with my parents for the umpteenth time during the summer a few years ago for a vacation and to visit my extended family." Fiona spoke to herself, wondering about the current condition of the town and its fair citizens. As she approached the door, she laid her hand on the doorknob, indecisive with opening the door. Due to her extended period in the cosmos, she had a feeling her secretary will bombard her with questions. _Flying to another country in an airplane is one thing but cruising through outer space in a starship is another._ She thought to herself, reflecting on her previous trip to China with her family and comparing it to her intergalactic travels while fighting off evil wherever it might be.

With bated breath, she cautiously opened the door of the Town Hall and once she is inside the office, she slowly closed the door behind her. All is well and everything seemed to be in working order just like she left it. Or at least, she assumed it to be when she noticed Isabelle standing behind her desk.

Isabelle is a bright yellow puppy which resembles a Shih Tzu. Her head is also shaped like a bag of bells. She had a happy appearance with rosy cheeks and with a white fur patch on her tail and around her mouth. Furthermore, she have a pair of black, beady and perky eyes with white irises and black, slanted eyebrows above said eyes, little oval-shaped cheeks, a pintsized, black dog nose and a petite, canine mouth. She wears a green-checkered vest with a white top and a red ribbon underneath with a navy blue skirt. Her hair is tied up with a red ribbon with silvery bells attached which actually jingle every time she walks. During autumn and winter, she wears a yellow cardigan instead of a vest.

During special events, celebrations and holidays that are held in the town, she is clothed in various different clothes to match with the corresponding holiday like for example, a floral shirt on the Fireworks Show and a Father Christmas-style shirt on Toy Day. However, most of the time she tends to stay in the Town Hall 24/7 without taking a break, which is worrying for the mayor.

In terms of her personality, she is exceedingly clumsy and absentminded. She also likes to respect other residents. She is friendly and she had an aversion for confrontations. She is extremely enthusiastic to make a town a better place to live by encouraging the mayor to take on tasks and doing Public Works Projects. Just like many secretaries, she had a tendency to put herself down when she is distracted. In spite of overworking herself, she never showed a sign of fatigue.

Taking a notice at the sudden outfit change, she went into a state of panic, rendering herself to stuttering and faltering in her words. To her, the bulky, blue armour her boss is currently wearing intimidated her. To top it all off, her emotion is expressed by a yellow shock mark appearing over her head whilst her eyes have shrunken down to pinpricks and her mouth opened agape. Her body is bent down slightly even as her arms and paws are pointing downwards in slanting positions at both sides of her body. "Wh-Wh-Who ar-ar-are you?"

"Relax, Isabelle, it's me." Fiona's voice filtered through the light orange-hued visor of her hefty, light grey-black helmet which accompanied her armour.

To her relief, Isabelle is overjoyed to see her employer again but her stammering remained the same. "M-M-Miss Mayor! I-I-Is th-th-this r-r-r-really you?!" Her eyes were welled up with watery tears, on the brink of crying, with pent-up worry whilst her eyes were glistening with water. She didn't know whether her tears were of joy or of sorrow (mainly due to missing her boss while she's away on interplanetary missions as an intergalactic mercenary), in fear of the possibility of never being able to see her employer ever again. She wiped her tears away with her paws to prevent them from sliding down her furry cheeks while trying to regain her composure and maintaining her formal appearance. Breaking down into tears in front of the mayor is the last thing she wanted. "You almost frightened me; I can barely recognise you from your bizarre attire and your eccentric fashion sense. I didn't expect you to return! Good heavens! Wh-Wh-Where have you been?! You've been absent for nine months! Do you have any idea how much I've been fretting about you?!" The way she runs her mouth in a frantic and fast-paced manner, her words made her sound like as if she's ranting or bombarding her mayor with questions. To Fiona, it sounds like the secretary had a lot to tell, seeing as they haven't seen each other in numerous months. Because of how long she spent in outer space, the months seemed like years or eons. It never occurred to her that her absence lasted for approximately nine months.

Bowing her head down in shame in order to avert her eyes from the Shih Tzu, Fiona gulped as she felt a lump in her throat which is difficult to swallow and not knowing how to explain to her secretary, struggling to search for the right words to say. Her mind is at a blank as she rooted through her brain to come up with something but to no avail. When she eventually found the courage to speak, she confessed to her assistant with a hint of remorse in her voice. Coming clean about her recent escapades through multiple galaxies is the hardest thing to do, most of the time. "I'm so sorry, Isabelle, I'm so caught up with other things outside of mayor duties, I almost forgot about my own town. But I do have a reasonable excuse as to why I've been away for so long."

"Please, Mayor, you must inform me of what occurred in the past months. I'm your secretary, after all. It is my duty to assist you in any way I can and remain by your side at all times. Everyone is wondering where you have been and they are worried sick about you."

"I will tell you but you will not believe a single word I said."

Kneeling down on one knee, Isabelle pleaded as best as she can and made a puppy dog pout for good measure. Her irresistibly adorable, black eyes grew twice as big than their normal size and they shined with unshed tears upon her employer. "Pleeeeease, I promise I will not overreact in response."

"That puppy dog pout isn't going to work on me."

Fiona tried to withstand Isabelle's puppy dog pout by averting her face to a different direction and crossing her arms across her chest and upper torso, trying to avoid eye contact. But when she side-eyed her secretary, the black orbs continued to stare right into her soul, penetrating her resistance within a blink of an eye. Her resistance is like a glass wall and the puppy dog pout is like a knife, shattering it into a million pieces of shards. No matter what she did or how hard she tried, it is just no use! The puppy dog pout is too good!

Eventually, Fiona gave in to Isabelle's irresistible puppy dog pout, throwing her hands and arms in the air in frustration and reluctance, much to the secretary's triumph and glee. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep up with the charade any longer. In spite of her hesitancy, she summoned up the courage to reveal the truth to her which she hid for many months. "Oh, _all right_! Y'see, you wouldn't believe what happened to me in the past numerous months since my departure. I don't know how to put this without freaking you out but I'm an intergalactic heroine now, hence the reason why I'm wearing this futuristic getup."

"Th-Th-That m-m-means y-y-y-you are a mayor by day and an intergalactic heroine by night! H-H-How i-i-i-is this possible?!" Isabelle exclaimed and stuttered in disbelief, taken aback by the unbelievable, overwhelming news she received from her boss. Placing a paw on her forehead, she felt like the world and the scenery around her is spinning at a breakneck speed as a wave of dizziness awash her. "I… I… I… I think I must lie down."

Before Isabelle could collapse, Fiona caught her in her arms in the nick of time before she fell to the floor in a heap. "No! Pull yourself together, Izzie! Don't faint on me!" She shouted in alarm, attempting to shake her devoted secretary awake frantically and repeatedly. Fortunately, the shaking effectively made her come to her senses as her vision slowly returned to normal and the glassiness begin to dissipate. "I'm a galactic girl by day and night, to be precise. This may sound unbelievable but it's true! Ever since I left this town, I've been kicking interplanetary butt left and right. Not to mention, I've been travelling from one planet and galaxy to another. It's been one heck of an adventure, I tell ya!" Judging by the tone of her voice and her speech pattern, she is enthusiastic about her recent astral adventures which are literally out of this world, despite the downsides.

Regardless of the near fainting spell, Fiona gently pushed her secretary back to her previous standing position and allowed her to have space to breathe in. It isn't until the armour the young, black-haired leader of the town is wearing had caught her interest due to its otherworldly, futuristic and intricate design. Upon eye inspection, it looked like a battle armour suit which is designed to protect its wearer from enemy gunfire and provide her with protection, depending on how much damage it can absorb.

Isabelle bent down to take a closer, but curious, gaze at the Magnaplate armour as if she is inspecting it whilst her arms and her paws were resting on her lap. "Pray tell, what kind of garment are you wearing?"

"Oh, this? This… is… uh… um…" Fiona struggled with conjuring up the right words to describe her new-fangled armour, feeling uncomfortable with the unnerving stare she is receiving from her secretary as she shuffled in her boots on the spot. "This is… This is one of the many armours I've been wearing to protect myself from enemy gunfire and attacks." Fiona outstretched her arms and hands whilst they pointed downwards in slanted positions as her way of showing off her newly-acquired armour, courtesy of her job as an intergalactic saviour. "It's called the Magnaplate Armour from a Gadgetron vendor in the Solana Galaxy. It reduces damage from enemy fire by a full thirty-three per cent and it costs ten-thousand bolts. It's pricey but it's worth it." She provided a detailed explanation to her puppy secretary.

"I'm intrigued. It seems fashion is ahead of its time over there."

"Protecting the universe may be hard work but it does have its perks such as this weapon right here," Fiona added, enlightening the Shih Tzu with the advantages of protecting multiple galaxies on a daily basis. The instant her words fell out of her lips, she withdrew the Omega Decimator from her arsenal of space-age weapons, gadgets and devices she collected throughout her interplanetary adventures, seemingly out of nowhere. "This is one of my few favourite weapons which I used to defend the Solana and Bogon galaxies with. An arsenal of weaponry and hi-tech gadgetry comes with the hero territory." She cocked her weapon up high, flaunting its height and durability. With it and her other weaponries at her disposable, she is like a one-woman army. "But I do miss this town. Truly, I do. It's not the same without you. Whenever I'm up there in outer space, I do feel homesick from time to time."

"I do not mean to be impolite, Mayor Fiona, but are you very young to be handling a firearm like this?"

"Says the secretary who assumes I'm best suited to be a mayor, despite my age and my young appearance. This is child labour, y'know!"

"Madam, you must understand. There is a difference between—"

As if on cue, their conversation is interrupted by a computerised female voice which derived from Fiona's futuristic wrist device. The voice sounded similar to the kind of voice anybody would hear from a satellite navigation system. Nowadays, cars are now fitted with satnav systems, as far as real-life is concerned.

" _Incoming transmission from Clank._ "

Fiona promptly brings up her right wrist and pushes a button on the device without hesitation. This results in a blue-coloured holographic image of Clank materialising above the aforementioned gadget. A gentle and polite, robotic voice can be audibly heard from it which accompanied the hologram.

" _Greetings, Fiona. Oh my… am I disturbing you?_ " Clank greeted in his typical mechanical, but polite, voice. Noticing that there is an unrecognisable, dog-like creature beside his travelling partner while he darted his green optics between them, his attention returned to her.

"Yeah, no offense, Clank. I'm in the middle with catching up with things with my secretary." Fiona frowned while gritting her teeth, a slight irritation evidently in her voice. As much as she cared for the diminutive robot, she wanted to spend some quality time with her assistant after what seemed like years when it is really months before she sets off yet again and she hated being interrupted.

" _My humble apologies, Fiona._ _Secretary? What is this, 'secretary', which you speak of? Can you please elaborate on what it means?_ "

Aware she couldn't stay mad at her close pal, Fiona's face softened as she enlightened him with her explanation of what a secretary is and what their role or job is in detail as best as she can. "How should I put this simply? A secretary is an assistant to a person who is of authority. In other words, a mayor. A secretary is responsible for filing and doing paperwork as well as carrying out important tasks. I'm sure Sasha Phyronix had a secretary with her when she's the mayor of Metropolis."

" _I see. It is quite fascinating. Why did you not inform me of your previous organic life in the midst of our first excursion? I appreciate it if you can explain to me about this, if you will._ "

"I'm surprised you don't know what it means, mainframe. I thought you knew every single word from the dictionary and thesaurus. I'll tell you all about my old life later when I'm in the ship. Now, what's the situation or the status report?"

" _It had come to my attention that I do believe the universe is in need of intergalactic security, I am afraid. You are required back in the ship immediately._ "

 _Again?! Can't the universe be all right for five minutes? Oh well, I guess it's back to the grind. I guess it can't be helped but beggars can't be choosers._ Fiona almost felt like she is on the verge of throwing her arms and hands in the air, burying her face into her hands or groaning in frustration but she knew it needs to be done. There is no other way out of it, whether she likes it or not. "I'll be right there, Clank. Fiona, beginning radio silence." She affirmed her decision, though her tone of voice is leaning more towards exasperation.

As much as she relished the opportunity of exploring the cosmos, the constant adrenaline and excitement of kicking intergalactic butt and saving the universe on a daily basis, sometimes she wished she can come back down to her home planet to waste her life away with her animal friends she come to love. But there is no rest for the heroes, no matter how big or small they are.

Once the discussion with her space-travelling partner ended, she lifted her right wrist and pressed on a button to shut down the blue-tinted hologram, thus causing it to disappear into her wrist-mounted device within a blink of an eye.

"I do not mean to be intrusive but who is that you are talking to?" Isabelle inquired, becoming curious about the mayor's latest robotic ally.

"The guy I'm chatting to is called Clank. He is a little, silver robot with light green-coloured optics for eyes who is my close friend, voice of reason and my partner. We've been travelling across the universe together, side by side. We have each other's backs, metaphorically and literally speaking. You know, my friendship with him reminds me of my work relationship with you, Izzie." Fiona beamed, providing a detailed description of her close comrade to her assistant. She didn't mind talking about him, seeing as she tends to compare her friendship with him to her work relationship with the canine secretary. Similar to said secretary, Clank is a friend like no other and he sticks by her, thick and thin.

"The way you described about him, he seems like a likeable, friendly guy. I enjoyed working alongside you, Mayor. I wish you can remain behind to ensure the safety and the well-being of the town and the inhabitants just you used to."

In response to the Shih Tzu's wishful hopes, Fiona placed her gloved hand on one of her shoulders, catching the blonde-yellow dog's attention. "Sorry, Isabelle, but the universe needs me and duty calls. Saving the universe is a big responsibility, you know. I'll see you when I see you, all right?" When the dog locked her eyes on to the human mayor's chocolate brown ones, it's like as if the eyes held a different kind of emotion, indicating a mixture of regret and melancholy. She removed her gloved hand from the puppy's shoulder before adding one more question, "And Isabelle?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Let everybody know I'll be absent for a very long time and I won't be back until… well, let's just say that I'll be back when the universe eventually learns to take care of itself. For now, either you'll have to take my place or find someone to take my place as a temporary mayor."

Not bearing to hear the bad news of her boss' imminent departure, this resulted in Isabelle falling onto Fiona, which caught her off guard and caused her to drop her high-tech weapon on the floor with a resounding clatter in the process. The puppy felt like her own world come crashing down and she didn't know what she will do if the current mayor left seeing as it didn't have a mayor to begin with after the former mayor, Tortimer, retired to a faraway tropical island.

Wrapping her arms around the mayor's waist in a tight embrace as if she is preventing her from leaving the office, the blonde-furred puppy sobbed into the rock-hard, solid surface of the armour. Due to her uncontrollable crying, she couldn't keep her tears in check. Luckily, the material absorbed the soggy and wetness of the tears or rather, said material is impervious to the aforesaid tears. Furthermore, she whined in between her wailing. "B-B-But Mayor! Y-Y-You c-c-can't l-l-leave me! Y-Y-You c-c-can't a-a-abandon us! You just arrived here!"

"Don't worry, I'll come and visit from time to time. The fact is that I can't always be there for you, the villagers and this town. Please look after it for me, okay? I'm sure you'll do fine. Leaving my old town have taught me one thing which is we all have to move on to pastures anew, as much as it pains us." Fiona reassured, returning the hug while she slowly petted Isabelle as her way of comforting her and holding her close to her chest.

It almost feels like eons since the last time they shared a cuddle as their eyes closed, savouring the moment. They never wanted to let go, dreading one of the two will leave forever and never to be seen again. At this point, Fiona almost felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach for abandoning her loyal assistant, the residents and the town for so many months. She didn't have a choice to do so, seeing as the universe they live in are at stake.

The silence is deafening, save for Isabelle's hiccupping in between sobs and sniffling. The hug eventually developed into something more intimate but not in a sexual or romantic manner as Fiona shifted her arms from the puppy's waist to her neck, caressing it in order to calm her down and said puppy still have her arms hugged around the mayor's waist.

Seconds soon turned into minutes and Isabelle is still showing no sign of stopping her tears from overflowing her eyes. While she continued with her waterworks, she failed to notice the mayor slipping a plain, white handkerchief into one of the pockets of her green-checkered vest. Speaking of the handkerchief, the above-mentioned mayor grabbed it from a nearby desk.

Taking advantage of the situation, she carefully wiped away the fresh, new tears which were forming in Isabelle's eyes using the tissue. She even took the liberty of delicately wiping her soaked, furry cheeks, her nose (since it is leaking trickles of gooey, slimy snot from her tiny nostrils), her office clothes and the majority of her face. Once that is finally done, she discarded the tissue.

"I…" Isabelle momentarily paused, completely at a loss for words for the random act of kindness she didn't expect from her boss. She opened her mouth to speak but her mind is currently at a blank, running out of things to say or express gratitude to the now space-travelling mayor. She cleared her throat while she gradually regained her composure, attempting to maintain a professional image without breaking into a state of tears once more. As much it pains her, she must let the mayor take her leave, despite the never-ending heartache. "I will never forget that, Mayor. I will do my utmost best to commit this to memory. I wish you luck on your endeavours to save the universe."

"Thanks, I'm definitely gonna need all the luck I can get. Goodbye for now, Isabelle!" Fiona gave a two-fingered salute to her secretary before she picked up her apparent overpowered gun and shouldering it, spinning around on the heels of her boots and headed for the door.

"I bid you farewell, Miss Mayor. I hope you return safely to our town someday." Isabelle uttered her final sentence to her departing employer, waving towards her retreating back.

Taking one last look at her secretary and the Town Hall office, Fiona flashed a heart-rending smile to her hardworking assistant before turning the doorknob in a clockwise direction with the purpose of unlocking the door. When it is open, she stepped outside into the tranquillity and peacefulness of her town which she missed so much before closing the door behind her. At this point, she deposited her weapon back in her arsenal, just in case her neighbours are strolling or jogging past her before she travelled back to her Star Explorer where Clank is waiting inside, sitting patiently on the passenger seat.

The moment the female mayor departed from the Town Hall; Isabelle made her way to one of the large windows of the building. Once she is at her chosen window, she rested her head on her arms whilst they touched the windowsill and she stared upwards through the transparent glass with a spark of hope twinkling in her eyes. _We will meet again, Mayor. You might be gone from this world but I will cherish the moments we have shared together. I hope we will cross paths again at another time in the future, whenever and wherever it will take us._

* * *

Meanwhile, all of the current residents gathered around the bulletin board next to the Town Hall, reading the message Fiona left for them. At first, she didn't want to tell everyone the truth but her intuition tells her they'll eventually find out sooner or later. On the bright side, she will get this off her chest.

Regarding her heartfelt message, the citizens read it in their heads. It almost felt like they were reading it in her voice or her voice filled the calming, pristine air, kind of like a voiceover. This is what the occupants read on the bulletin board:

 _To the denizens of Rainbow,_

 _If you don't hear from me right now, then I've already gone once again. I didn't know how to confess, that's why I didn't have the courage to let all of you know about the truth for a long time. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm an intergalactic heroine now. Therefore, this is why I've temporarily stepped down from the mayor's chair. The fact is I can't stay at one place forever. I hope all of you will find it in your heart and forgive me for ditching all of you and the town like this. From here on out, Isabelle will take care of it and everything as well as your needs. If you ever need anything, she will be there to help you. I don't know when I'll be back but please, take care of yourselves and whatever you do, never ever let this town die._

 _From your beloved mayor,_

 _Fiona._

By the time the animal citizens crowded around the bulletin board, she is already gone and she is nowhere to be seen for another innumerable years.

* * *

 **Obani Gemini Pollux, Planet Obani**

 **Solana Galaxy**

 **Year 5356**

 **2:26pm local time**

Meanwhile, Fiona and Clank arrived at Obani Pollux by means of a teleporter which is accessible on Obani Gemini after fixing the satellites and activating the aforementioned teleporter.

Obani Pollux is a small, cybernetic moon which consists of cybernetic vegetation and similar to Obani Gemini, it had an uneven surface which includes many cliffs. This moon is about the same size as the previous moon (Obani Gemini) but the lighter half of it is covered with more metallic buildings and trees than the darker side, which are mostly bare and inaccessible. The atmosphere is breathable but thin unlike the air back in the town of Rainbow, the gravity is standard and the main terrains have a combination of lava and cliffs. The third moon, Obani Draco, is protected and guarded by an Omega Class Disintegration Field. Regarding the moon, half of it is covered in lava and the other half is like a mechanical version of Obani Gemini. Countless huge, mushroom-like bolts are scattered all over the rock-like moon. It is the second miniature moon of the Zygan System which is orbiting planet Obani.

After regaining consciousness and they oriented themselves, they took in the new surroundings which this recent territory had to offer as they travelled through the expanse of the moon.

"Are you quite all right, Fiona?" Clank asked from his position on his close friend's back, voicing out his concern for her when he noticed the sudden change in her mood.

Looking over her shoulder, Fiona forced a faint smile in Clank's direction with the intention of making herself look all right, concealing her current mood in the process. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you certain? You seem to be preoccupied for a short period of time. Is there something troubling you?"

"Don't worry about me, Clank; I assure you I'm okay."

"Very well. If you require some reassurance, please inform me and I will endeavour to assist you in any method I can. In the meantime, we must traverse this moon and press on. I do believe we might encounter a clue, an item or an organic life form vital to our mission."

Before their conversation can continue any further, they or rather Fiona immediately spotted a swarm of Shockbots approaching them from afar. Due to the vast number of them, it is hard to tell how many of them there are without counting. Cycling through her Quick Select inventory of her powerful arsenal of space-age weapons she collected throughout her current adventure, Fiona eventually picked her favourite weapon of choice, the Omega Decimator.

Betraying her typical girlish personality and unleashing the secret trigger happy traits within her, she determinedly put on a neutral or serious facial expression and cocked her weapon in the air as she hover her finger on the trigger, ready to take on the incoming Shockbots. It's the kind of expression when she is about to take on a challenge or when she is prepared to get down to hard business. "It looks like we've got some company. Let's get it on!"

Nodding his head when he is in his backpack-like form, Clank provided his gunslinging, female partner with advice and his words of wisdom. "Affirmative. We must eliminate these enemies before we are able to advance through this area. Be sure to proceed with caution, Fiona."

However, his informative voice fell on deaf ears since his teammate left her mind wandering again while she looked upwards into the distance as if she is imaging what is beyond the endless sea of stars. They are just like twinkling diamonds in the starry sky. From her perspective, they appeared to be sparkling dots but they might represent distant planets or stars.

It almost feels like she is back in the sanctuary of her peaceful town, gazing at the endless ocean of shining, seemingly dot-shaped stars during the night underneath the moonlight with her animal friends such as Penelope and Freya, letting the hours go by. Only a few residents are night owls just like her. She almost forgot how much she enjoyed stargazing which eventually led her to cruising across outer space with her faithful friend, Clank. Her new life is a huge contrast to her previous, ordinary mundane life. However, some sacrifices have to be made. It nearly made her realise how much she have given up to gain so little, or so she presumed. Little did she know her Astro-themed room in her castle-like home and her hobby of stargazing foreshadowed her future (now current) life?

 _I hope you're doing fine and taking care of the town and the citizens without me, Isabelle. Until we meet again in the future._ Fiona thought to herself, letting out a breath while allowing her mind to wander and contemplating about her animal friends back at her home before she and her robotic, backpack-like companion engaged the Shockbots in battle.

* * *

 **Authoress' Notes (Continued):** If you're wondering, Fiona represents me since I'm the player. In a way, this story is a self-insert fanfiction but it is written in the third person. To put it simply, in _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_ , you as the player character take on the role of the mayor (unlike the previous instalments of the series) to make the town a better place, enact town ordinances (in other words, laws), doing Public Works Projects, pay off your mortgages which are set by Tom Nook, befriend and form conversations with the animal villagers and the special characters, catch sea creatures, insects and fish, find fossils and the list goes on. This is all I can say without revealing the spoilers.

I'm sorry if you are expecting a battle against the Shockbots, there aren't any action in this one-shot but don't worry, there will be plenty of action and gunfights/fighting in one of my upcoming, possible one-shots. Yet again, it's another Ratchet & Clank crossover but with a franchise I used to be obsessed with. You'll find out when I finally finished working on it.

Back when I used to play the Animal Crossing games such as _Animal Crossing: Wild World_ and _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_ , they are like a vacation away from the stress and harshness of real life. Plus, I tend to play these games every time I become worried. They really suck you in, especially when my worries are washed away with the tide of the waves just like that. That is what countless hours of playing these games did to me. Not only that, but the relaxing music (most of the game soundtrack is tranquil and peaceful) enhances the experience and they have a positive effect on me.

The message in the story is a much longer message than the one I left on the bulletin board on Wednesday 25th March 2015 which said, " _If you don't hear from me, then I have left again to save the universe with my new partner and close friend, Clank. Isabelle, please take care of the town._ " Because of the word limit, I couldn't extend the length of this message.

If you like my recent and past fanfictions, be sure to check them out and I appreciate it if you can either review, add them to your favourite stories list, add me to your favourite authors list, add me to your author alerts list or add any of my fanfictions to your alerts list (if you want to). Anyway, you know what to do: just review away!


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